Host Jared Asch interviews Brandon Cardwell of the City of Livermore about the city’s economic development and innovation strategy. Cardwell describes Livermore as the easternmost Bay Area city, celebrating its 150th anniversary, with a symbiotic mix of a revitalized historic downtown, wine country, significant industrial/flex space, and two national labs employing about 12,000 people. He highlights the outlets as a major sales tax driver and details downtown’s transformation after rerouting a state highway, enabling outdoor dining, parks, and an all-day nightlife economy, with projects like Blacksmith Square expansion and a new event center plus a “downtown 2.0” plan. Cardwell explains how the labs drive jobs and procurement networks and support fusion commercialization, while noting California competitiveness challenges and tailored tools like fee deferments and abatements. He discusses regional workforce links via the Altamont Pass and Valley Link, the municipal airport strategy (EVTOL mobility, hangars, public safety complex, and a 2027 innovation center), data-driven/AI-assisted business attraction, Startup Tri-Valley/IGATE’s role, and Tri-Valley regional collaboration.

Guest host Alex Greenwood records Capstone Conversations live at the ICSC Idea Exchange in Monterey, interviewing economic development leaders from five California cities about retail attraction strategies, successes, and lessons. Martinez describes zoning streamlining, concierge support, by-right approvals (including breweries), expedited permitting, a successful Ross store opening, housing upzoning, and a proposed $500M waterfront redevelopment. Sunnyvale highlights its CityLine mixed-use public-private partnership, downtown specific plan, Murphy Avenue pedestrian mall, and designing flexible ground-floor retail to attract tenants like restaurants and entertainment. Merced reports reuse of a 94,000-square-foot Sears building, mall renovation, downtown change, and emphasizes persistence, relationships, and a confidential council subcommittee. Pleasanton discusses void analysis, targeted broker outreach, new tenants, process and customer-service improvements, and new marketing tools including a “Pleasanton Playbook.” San Leandro outlines a 2024 strategy and retail action plan with void analysis, target tenant lists, property upgrades, a retail landing page, downtown mixed-use openings, and Bayfair area TOD planning and reuse.

Host Jared Asch interviews procurement experts Ricardo Martinez, a former California Department of General Services chief procurement officer, and Oscar Garcia of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce about how companies sell to state and local governments in California. They explain that public-sector procurement is a law- and policy-driven process—from need identification through solicitations and approvals—often lengthy for IT, including the Project Approval Lifecycle (12–24 months), with separate technical and procurement teams and many acquisition methods. They describe guardrails such as risk management, data-breach protections, fair competition (e.g., two-envelope evaluations), and limited contract clause negotiations. Common vendor mistakes include cold outreach and assuming the government will “rip and replace.” They urge relationship-building, readiness for RFP requirements, certifications and small-business preferences, partnering with primes, and persistent bidding. For procurement staff, they recommend ongoing learning, leveraging statewide resources, and staying open to pre-solicitation meetings while observing “cone of silence” rules, alongside evolving AI policies, disclosure, cybersecurity, and human oversight.